As Britain's first and so far only female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher often found herself under the glare of showbiz lights.

Though she herself was not an actress.

Thatcher, who died after a stroke on Monday, has been portrayed - and in some cases lampooned - throughout the years in film, TV and music. (Even her daughter Carol Thatcher entered the pop culture zeitgeist in 2005 when she won the very popular British show "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!")

Here are just a few examples:

Thatcher was often shown as a tough task master in the British political parody puppet series, "Spitting Image":

The Thatcher puppet made another appearance in the 1986 music video for the Genesis song "Land of Confusion," which got heavy play in the States on MTV:

The 1981 James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only" ended with a scene of actress Janet Brown as Thatcher reaching out to congratulate Bond on a mission well done:

And here in the States, the most famous portrayal of the former prime minister is probably the much heralded performance of Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady," for which Streep won an Oscar:

In a statement, Streep called Thatcher “a pioneer, willingly or unwillingly, for the role of women in politics."

"It is hard to imagine a part of our current history that has not been affected by measures she put forward in the UK at the end of the 20th century," Streep continued. "I was honored to try to imagine her late life journey, after power; but I have only a glancing understanding of what her many struggles were, and how she managed to sail through to the other side. I wish to convey my respectful condolences to her family and many friends.”

This article misses Thatcher's biggest contribution to pop culture, her influence on British music in the 80's. She made pretty much all pop stars become tax exiles, forcing them to retreat to a wide range of exotic locales. This added to the undercurrents of darkness and tension in so much synthpop. Without the time spent in the skeezy underbelly of per-Giuliani New York, Soft Cell wouldn't be the Soft Cell we know. Without stints in Monserrat, southern France, and Australia, Duran Duran would be quite a bit different. Margaret Thatcher chased away art, and in doing so, made it that much better.

"Sarah Palin announces her candidacy for president of the United States" This is the headline I most wished for in 2011. Palin has the potential to eclipse the golden age of political comedy provided to comedians by George W. Bush. Her gaffes and missteps have secured her a place in the Dan Quayle political comedy museum.

Who can forget Palin referring to the fighting in Libya as a "squirmish" - a word which sends my spell check into an endless loop. Or Palin sharing her foreign policy prowess with the comment: "But obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies."

And just a few months ago, she gave us this comedy classic: Paul Revere warned the British during the Revolutionary war.

Ahh...I get a bit misty thinking about what could have been if Sarah ran for President.

Don't get me wrong, from a comedic point of view, 2011 was a pretty good year, but I think we all can agree that it could have been funnier.

When she is elected our next president, America should put Sarah Palin up on a pedestal as a shining beacon to the world, an example of what Freedom truly is and how a woman in the 21st century can become the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. This pedestal should be high enough that we can look up her dress (be sure to wear goggles so you don't get sand in your eyes).